Customer Reviews

Tony Furtado & Dirk Powell

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This is Tony's best work to this date with an outstanding cajun artist Dirk Powell. If you ever have a chance to see Tony live, jump at the chance. From your loyal fans in Montana!

Tony Furtado began his career as a progressive bluegrass banjo player, and transitioned into a slide guitar-playing folk-rocker. At this point in his career (1999), he was making a transition, and playing a hybrid style that combines almost every roots music form around while alternating between banjo and slide guitar. Dirk Powell has one foot planted in Cajun music (he is a member of Balfa Toujours) , and another in old-time country music (which is what he plays on his solo albums). Powell is a multi-instrumentalist equally gifted on fiddle, clawhammer banjo (Furtado sticks to Scruggs-style when he plays banjo), piano and accordion. This album puts the two together in mostly duet settings. The music, like what Furtado was playing on his own at the time, incorporates many genres, particularly blues, old time country and Cajun. The brilliant instrumentals on this album are subtle and beautiful. There is very little bluegrass here, and Furtado and Powell rarely approach the frenetic pace of bluegrass, but the album has a tension and an energy just below the surface that you might miss if you don't pay close attention. This is music that rewards close attention, though. This album is essential for anyone interested in genre-crossing roots music, played with subtlety and intelligence. There is no flash here-- just two kindred spirits exploring American roots music. This album makes an excellent companion to Furtado's Roll My Blues Away. This album is much more mellow, but the two fit together nicely.

Incidentally, anyone interested in this stage of Furtado's career should also track down a copy of Ben Winship's One Shoe Left. Furtado is a guest on that album, and his playing is similar to his playing here.

One of the best albums I've produced!!!!!! Tony and Dirk are masters of their instruments. Check out Brain's performance on some of these cuts.